Delen Private Bank is one of Europe’s most significant supporters of art and design. The bank’s art curator Marie Genicot speaks to Cultural Union about Belgian artists, global art fairs, and the critical role such institutions can play in launching careers and preserving artistic legacies.
If you want to see the world’s most stylish apartment, go to BRAFA Art Fair next year and head for the suite of rooms marked Delen Private Bank. For the past 18 years, Delen has been the main sponsor of the global-powerhouse art and design event (Harold t’Kint, now BRAFA’s honorary chairman, refers to the bank as BRAFA’s bride) and their booths offer a glimpse into some of the finest art curation and interior design of the past 100 years.
What is especially appealing is that their work is opinionated and has attitude. It’s not neutral or predictable; it’s an expertly curated blend of contemporary and next-generation art and sculptural design with a stunning selection of 20th-century pieces from Belgium and beyond. The overall effect is informed, stylish and cool.
The team behind Delen Private Bank’s BRAFA rooms are Marie-Alix Delen, her daughter Anne-Sophie Delen, and Marie Genicot – who describes each of Delen’s booths at BRAFA as a vitrine – a carefully curated showcase of different moods and textures, much like an artwork in itself. “Each room has a distinct atmosphere,” she says. “It’s about creating harmony between different elements to generate something new, immersive, and thought-provoking.”
All of their rooms at 2025’s BRAFA were striking, but one of the smaller ones was a showstopper, with dark red, high-gloss walls and ceiling, and a perfectly syncopated selection of 1960s artworks by Walter Leblanc, alongside pieces by Ettore Sottsass and Belgian designer Pierre Culot. “We wanted this room to be graphic,” Genicot says. “I’d seen Walter Leblanc’s work in a gallery with plain white walls. But I knew it had more potential. When we placed it in this room, everything just clicked. That moment of realisation – when an artwork fits perfectly into its environment – is magical.”
Another standout space was a large, serene room featuring a dramatically large central dining table, mid-century pendants and Ben Storms pieces from Objects With Narratives, all framed by artworks from Florian Tomballe and Jan Yoors. “The room felt peaceful among the visual richness,” Genicot notes. “It provided a quiet retreat from the bustling fair – a cocoon where visitors could relax and absorb the art at their own pace.”
“That moment of realisation – when an artwork fits perfectly into its environment – is magical.”
Marie Genicot, Delen Private Bank Art Projects
Taken together, the rooms feel like one is moving through different versions of the ultimate apartment. “It mirrors the aesthetic approach we take in our Belgian offices, where every room has its own mood,” says Genicot. “The goal, at the bank, is to make visitors feel at home – even if they’re having complex financial conversations. At BRAFA, we wanted to extend that experience into our space at the fair, making it feel like a mini-version of our offices and an expression of our love for art and design.”
The rooms also demonstrate Delen Private Bank’s long-standing commitment to supporting the next generation of artists, designers and gallerists, particularly those from Belgium. “As a Belgian bank, this is something we feel strongly about,” says Genicot, who highlights Jef Meyer. “We showcased one of his works at BRAFA this year – a striking concrete piece. He’s experimenting and searching – his work is a dialogue with materials, with roughness, with imperfection. It has aspects of wabi-sabi.”
Another example is Delen’s collaboration – over the past few years – with Belgian gallery Objects With Narratives. The gallery was featured in Delen’s rooms at BRAFA in 2024; a year later, the gallery had its own booth at the fair – an example of the kind of progression Delen seeks to enable. Objects With Narratives remains a firm Delen favourite, with several of their pieces featured in this year’s rooms. “It’s rewarding to grow together, supporting artists as they develop their careers,” says Genicot – who also underscores that none of Delen’s pieces at the fair are for sale: the bank is there to support, not to compete with, BRAFA’s exhibitors.
Curating for BRAFA is a meticulous process that begins each summer and takes months of preparation in time for the January opening. “The site preparation alone takes three weeks,” Genicot reveals. “First, we construct the walls, followed by our painters, who use special techniques that require time to dry. Then come the carpets, the furniture, and the final installations. It’s a complex operation, made more challenging by the cold conditions of Brussels Expo in winter, when all the doors are open for setup.”
Beyond BRAFA, Delen Private Bank actively partners with Art Brussels, Luxembourg Art Week, and Art Antwerp. “At Art Brussels, the audience is younger,” says Genicot, “and we have more of a white-box, gallery-like feel – while still maintaining the Delen style.” The Delen booth at Luxembourg Art Week features a setup similar to BRAFA, though on a smaller scale, while Art Antwerp is more personal, given the bank’s deep roots in the city.
Delen also organises exclusive exhibitions within their own offices, in collaboration with museums, collectors, and galleries. “We host masterclasses on art collecting,” says Genicot. “These bring together experienced collectors, museum directors, and industry experts. It’s a community.” She also underlines that – as with BRAFA – the bank is not involved in commercial activity at these events: rather than competing with museums or collectors, they are supporting and collaborating with them. “For example, we don’t provide valuations ourselves – our role is to connect people with the right specialists. For us, art is a passion.”
Art has been integral to Delen Private Bank since its roots in 1936, but in particular, since the 1990s, when art collector Filips de Ferm joined the executive committee. His involvement led the bank to begin acquiring artworks, particularly post-war abstract pieces, which now form a distinctive part of Delen’s aesthetic.
And Delen’s influence in art extends far beyond its walls. The bank supports institutions such as KMSKA in Antwerp, the Musée de la Photographie in Charleroi, and Mu.ZEE in Ostend. “Belgium has an incredibly rich artistic heritage,” Genicot says. “Our goal is to highlight and support this legacy while also giving new talent a platform.”
Through careful curation, meaningful partnerships, and a deep-seated love for the arts, Delen Private Bank continues to be a powerful force in the Belgian and European art world – not just as collectors, but as champions of artistic vision and creativity. The bank has proved that finance and creativity can more than coexist – they can thrive together. And it’s a love affair that shows no signs of slowing down.